TITLE: The future control of
food: a guide to international negotiations and rules on
intellectual property, biodiversity and food security
AUTHOR: Geoff Tansey and Tasmin Rajotte (editors)
PUBLICATION: from Earthscan press release DATE: The book
will be available 28 January 2008 URL:
http://shop.earthscan.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/77
6/
New book to be released 28 January 2008:
THE FUTURE CONTROL OF FOOD: A GUIDE TO INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS AND RULES ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, BIODIVERSITY AND FOOD SECURITY
Edited by Geoff Tansey and Tasmin Rajotte
Complex global rules on intellectual property -- e.g. patents, copyright and plant variety protection -- are laying the foundation for a more corporate future control of food and farming and undermining attempts to maintain biodiversity, ensure food security and meet the needs of developing countries, according to a new book published this month.
'The world is engaged in two parallel experiments,' says Geoff Tansey, co-editor of The Future Control of Food: A Guide to International Negotiations and Rules on Intellectual Property, Biodiversity and Food Security, published this month by Earthscan. 'One introduces a set of minimum legal standards on intellectual property (IP) for all World Trade Organisation (WTO) members irrespective of circumstances. These standards apply equally to big, more technologically advanced developing countries like India and China as well as to much poorer countries, and even to all of the least-developed countries by 2013. They have introduced IP into food and agriculture for the first time for many countries, partly through the requirements for plant variety protection and patenting of micro-organisms and partly through the rules on patenting themselves. These IP rules in turn, particularly those on patents, are also fuelling the most rapid and biggest ever biological experiment on the planet on the food we eat and raw materials we use, as any living organism of commercial value is being redesigned by private actors for private ends. Moreover, the firms doing this are not subject to equally stringent anti-trust and liability regimes, with the liability and redress part of the Biosafety Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity still to be agreed. There is also a failure to build on traditional systems and ecological approaches to biological innovation, which offer alternatives.'
When it comes to lobbying for changes in international rules it is the big corporations and rich world governments rather than poor people and developing country governments that have the biggest bucks and best lawyers. This puts the weaker countries and civil society groups at a major disadvantage in developing rules that are fair for all. It also means food security takes a back seat with pressures for monopoly control over plants, seeds and genes driving the agenda.
While there has been a global outcry over the effects of the patent regime on access to medicines, leading to changes in the rules at the WTO, much less attention has been paid to the effects of similar rules on access to seeds and food. The various authors show how, over several decades, intellectual property rules have been extended to living things and how these changes have affected global attempts to safeguard natural and agricultural biodiversity, which are both needed for our future food security.
'International
negotiations related to food, biodiversity and
intellectual property have developed piecemeal in different
forums leading to a bewildering environment for those who
participate in policy making. This guide was written in
response to concerns of developing country negotiators
from different ministries dealing with the environment,
food and agriculture, trade, development, and intellectual
property. The core of the book explains just what lies
behind various sets of international negotiations, what
the new rules say and what the outstanding issues are.'
says Tasmin Rajotte of the Quaker International Affairs
Programme in Canada, and co-editor of The Future Control
of Food.
"The future control of
food: a guide to international negotiations and rules on
intellectual property, biodiversity and food
security"
Edited by Geoff Tansey and Tasmin
Rajotte
Published by Earthscan
£19.99 - ISBN
9781844074297 - 266 pages
http://shop.earthscan.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/77
6/
Review copies of The Future Control of Food: gudrun.freese(at)earthscan.co.uk or Tel: +44 020 7121 3152
Interviews with Geoff Tansey: geoff(at)tansey.org.uk or phone Gudrun at +44 020 7121 3152
Geoff Tansey's website: http://www.tansey.org.uk/
QIAP's website: http://www.qiap.ca/